1. The field of the invention relates to honing machines.
2. Brief description of the prior art.
Blades for jet engines and the like typically include a root, a helically shaped airfoil extending from the root, and projections known as midspans extending substantially perpendicular from the airfoil. The midspans, also sometimes referred to as snubbers or clappers, support the airfoil when the engine is in operation. The blades are usually made from a titanium alloy. The roots are coated with a relatively soft material which functions as a gasket when the roots are mounted to a rotor. In contrast, the mating flat edges of the midspans which are exposed to wear are coated with a relatively hard coating. This hard, wear coating is relatively coarse until worn down through use.
In order to avoid the break-in period necessary for smoothing the coated wear surfaces of the midspans, grinding has been suggested as a possible treatment. Grinding, however is an expensive process which requires a high level of skill on the part of the operator. Since the blades are difficult to align, the grinding of each midspan would be a special job requiring individualized treatment. More importantly, grinding tends to produce microcracks which can propagate into the blade. Such cracks are very difficult to detect without specialized inspection methods.